No one is a bigger golf fan than
me. I began playing when I was 11. That’s
also when I started working as a bag boy at the Fort McPherson Commissary in
Atlanta, Ga. The compensation was “tips
only.” So I saved my quarters, dimes and
nickels. I asked my dad to take me to
Sears where I bought a Spalding starter set of clubs-- four irons, one driver ,
a putter, and a imitation leather bag. The total was $49.95, a veritable
fortune to a little south side kid. Thus
began my love affair with the game.
Fast forward 15 years and I was
actually covering the PGA as a television reporter. I covered all the majors at one point. But let me contrast the difference between
watching the U.S. Open as opposed to watching the Masters.
Watching the Masters is a trip to heaven.
Watching the U.S. Open is a trip to
golf purgatory.
At the Masters, we all know the
scoop. The tournament will be decided
during final 9 holes on Sunday. Something exciting is going to happen. Take a
risk at Augusta, you might get rewarded, or fail miserably.
At the U.S. Open, taking a risk is not
possible. The courses are so brutally
set up, taking a chance with your Titleist Pro V1 is like loaning money to your
family--- you’ll never see it again.
It takes the survival skills of a
Navy SEAL to endure 72 holes on a U.S. Open course. United States Golf Association officials
always say they want to identify the “best” player. What they identify is the guy who, in one
particular week, has the patience of a mom with triplet two year olds.
As a reporter, I used to marvel at
the players as they left the course after 18 holes on a U.S. Open set up. It was in their expressions, or lack thereof.
Their faces were completely drained. Their shoulders slumped. Their eyes were
bloodshot. They seemingly had been staring into the abyss, for four plus hours.
Sort of like boxer Roberto Duran before
he said, “no mas.”
At the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble
Beach, Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd had just shot 81 on the final day. And he wasn’t the only one to go “four score”
and above. As he headed for the scorer’s
tent I heard him mumble, “They may as well put gravel on the course.”
I could go into details about what
the golfers are facing at the Olympic Club Lake Course. But you know drill. This one’s a real doozy!
To sum up, I remind you of what one
of the greatest, most flamboyant and exciting golfers of all time said about
the U.S. Open. I had the pleasure to
spend a lot of time with him in his heyday, and will always miss him--
Seve Ballesteros: “The U.S. Open has never been exciting to
watch. It has always been a sad
tournament. There is no excitement, no
enjoyment. It is all defensive golf,
from the first tee to the last putt.”
Yes, even if Tiger wins, that is the
case, always.
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